


A Leap of Faith

by MangaFreak15



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Animal Violence, Crow!Daichi, Crow!Sugawara, Fox!Hinata, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, Suga being everyone's mom, Wolf!Kageyama, animal kingdom rules being broken, hibernation buddies, non descriptive gore, shapeshifter!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-10-21 03:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangaFreak15/pseuds/MangaFreak15
Summary: Kageyama, betrayed by his pack and left to die, doesn't believe that he'll live to see another day. But when he is found and healed by Hinata and his adopted family, he thinks that maybe he'll finally find somewhere to belong.Shapeshifter!AU





	1. A King's Death

It was cold; abnormally, strikingly, unsettlingly so, considering his thick fur should have been able to ward off the chill with no problem.

But he could feel it seeping into him slowly, invading his very bones and stealing away what warmth remained. Not that there was much left; the life was quietly draining out of his body with every slow, feeble pump of his heart. The snow beneath him was red and slick with his blood. Every breath was a struggle and felt like tiny icicles were filling his faltering lungs.

This wasn’t how he was supposed to go.

He blinked weakly at the fading light falling through the gaps in the forest canopy. The day’s birdsong had long since died out with the encroaching twilight, and the silence of the winter night unnerved him even as he lay at death’s doorstep. He was all alone. He would die here all alone too. It terrified him, because there was no one there. No one...

How did he let things get this way? He had thought he’d been a good alpha to the pack after Oikawa left, but clearly everyone else felt differently. Even though he had worked hard to make sure his pack got enough to eat to keep them all in optimal shape, they still turned on him. Kindaichi had been the one to lead the rebellion against him. He’d turned his back for just a second to examine their dinner and then… and then…

The memories of what happened after were a blur to him. Teeth and claws and screaming howls filled his sluggish mind. Blood and hatred and burning eyes. Darkness and cold and betrayal and painpain _pain_ —

He wanted to laugh hysterically, but it hurt too much.

They called him the ‘King of Wolves’, a title he had once held in high regard. So much for that! He might as well be the King of Failures at this point. Betrayed by his own pack and left to die in the snow; there was nothing stately about him anymore. Mighty as he was, even he couldn’t take on an entire pack of wolves by himself (and he would deny it to his last breath, but maybe he had subconsciously held himself back because he was supposed to be protecting his pack, not fighting them to the death).

If his lungs hadn’t been protesting so badly, he might have let out a sob. How pathetic! He knew he didn’t have the best personality, but his skills were— _had been_ —top notch. So where had everything gone wrong? How could the pack, their skills honed and refined under Oikawa himself, have looked at him and found him lacking? Inadequate?

He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer that.

The light was gone now. It was dark, and cold; so very cold.

Should he count it as a blessing in disguise that nobody was around to see him in such a pitiful condition? That he couldn’t feel the weight of their judging gazes watching with glee as the mighty king toppled from his pedestal at long last?

He blinked slowly again, a last surge of sudden dread, fear, and regret flashing through his mind.

No. _No!_ He didn’t...

He could feel the darkness enveloping him now.

...He didn’t want to die like this...! Oikawa... Iwaizumi... someone, _anyone..._  he...

...He didn’t want to...

...He didn’t...

...He...

...

His thoughts fizzed out as a low ringing noise began to buzz in his head. The snow didn’t feel so cold anymore; now it was more like a warm blanket gently cushioning his broken body against the hard ground. Kageyama exhaled, probably his last breath, and sank beneath the overwhelming waves of unconsciousness.

 

000

 

The air reeked of wolves and danger. Also blood—lots of it.

Hinata dared not venture outside while the smell lingered. The last time he did something that reckless, both his parents and Natsu had been killed by one of the wolves. He had only been able to escape by the skin of his teeth, and it had taken hours of him hiding and backtracking and covering his tracks in the wake of his family’s death before he had finally lost them.

The days had been dark and bleak back then. If it hadn’t been for—

The little fox shook his head fiercely. There was no use lingering in the past. He was starting to get a little hungry, but he also didn’t want to go out hunting and accidentally wander into one of those wolves’ paths. He shuddered at the thought, his tail puffing up visibly in imagined fear.

His stomach growled unhappily. Hinata whined quietly, cursing the wolves’ timing, before he shuffled to his feet, slinking towards the hidden entrance of his den. It wouldn’t hurt to just poke his nose out and see if the smell had faded yet. Hopefully he’d be able to track down a nice, juicy rabbit despite the other predators’ overwhelming scent.

Hinata slowly parted the branches of the giant bush that hid the opening to his den. A quick whiff brought the sickening, cloying stench of wolves’ blood straight to his sensitive nose. He had to resist the urge to jump out and bury his nose into the snow just to escape it. He cast a suspicious glance around his immediate area. Seeing no threat in his vicinity, he carefully climbed out of the hole.

Hinata winced as the full force of the smell smacked him in the face. Did one of the wolves get badly injured and die? The other scents had faded a little, so they had probably already left the area. The little fox felt fear crawl up his spine as he debated on checking out the source of the blood—what if it was a trap and one of the wolves leapt out at him from behind a tree? He’d be killed in one bite.

On the other hand, if something was wrong, then he’d be informed. He pawed at the snow nervously as he thought about what to do. The scent of blood had most likely already scared away any potential meals for him, and he himself could become a meal. Or maybe a nice wolf chew toy.

A distant caw snapped him out of his thoughts. The crows were flying in—which meant there was probably a corpse lying around somewhere and it was _probably_ the origin of the blood smell. He wondered if Daichi and Suga were around. If they were, he had nothing to fear.

Hoping that he wouldn’t regret this decision, Hinata followed his nose and the murder of crows, bracing himself for what he might find.

And what a sight it was. Bright red arcs of blood splattered the gleaming white snow, surrounding the body of a large, frightening, and very much dead-looking black wolf lying in the middle of all the carnage. Strangely enough, the crows were merely standing around tilting their heads as they waited for a verdict from the two birds examining the body. One of them was much larger than all the others in the group and black as the night; the one next to him was pale as the snow he stood on, and slightly smaller in stature. His feathers were lightly dusted with tiny ash-blond spots.

Hinata gave an excited yip as he raced towards them. The crows spotted him and they all let out enthusiastic caws, catching the attention of the two next to the body. The large black crow nodded to him, while the white crow hopped up and down and fluttered his wings with elation.

Despite the chill of the snowy night, they all transformed at the same time.

Hinata squealed as Tanaka put him into a headlock, affectionately grinding a fist down into his fluffy orange locks. He laughed even as his tail flicked upwards to thump harmlessly against the bigger shapeshifter’s stomach, “Tanaka-san! Stop it, it tickles!”

Tanaka grinned. “Good to see you too, shrimp! We were worried about you with all those wolves skulking around!” he said, releasing the little fox. “Have you eaten yet? You look like a twig!”

“I was going to, but the stupid wolves probably scared all the good stuff away!” Hinata replied, his cheeks puffing out irritably. He cast a cautious glance in the dead wolf’s direction. “...What do you think happened to him?”

“That’s the thing,” Daichi cut in, his thick brows furrowed in confusion. “This one looks big enough to have been the alpha, but none of the animals around these parts except the wolves could have made all those claw and teeth marks in his hide.” He gestures to the ugly, gaping wound at the wolf’s throat and the jagged vertical tears in his hide. “It’s pretty rare in this area, but I think his own pack attacked him and left him to die.”

Hinata let out a horrified gasp. Killed by his own comrades? What a ghastly way to die! Hinata might be terrified of wolves because they had slain his family, but even he felt a bit sorry for the black wolf. But maybe he did something to deserve it? If he had been the alpha…

Suga softly cleared his throat, the sound catching everyone’s attention in the ensuing silence. “I don’t think he’s dead yet. It’s very slight, but he’s still breathing,” he said, prodding gently at the wolf’s side and bloody underbelly. “Of course, if he doesn’t get some treatment quickly, he’s going to go within a few minutes.” He looked straight at Hinata, his gray eyes shining with acceptance and understanding.

The little fox looked down uncertainly. If they treated the wolf, he could attack all of them. Or maybe he’d just die during treatment. Hinata was so, so afraid of seeing his adopted family murdered by another wolf. He didn’t want it to happen again. Thinking about it made all his fur bristle. But what if the wolf survived, and _didn’t_ attack them? What then? Hinata already knew that the crows living in this forest were atypical considering they were all shapeshifters. What if the wolf was one of them? What if—what if he had been a wolf shapeshifter in charge of a pack of them and _he’d been betrayed by them_.

He shook his head fiercely, slapping his cheeks to get himself to focus. He looked at the black wolf again, his bushy tail swishing side-to-side in agitation. Everyone was gazing at him expectantly. He had to make a choice; the clock was ticking down and every second he wasted debating was a second that could be used for action.

Hinata steeled himself. It was going to be okay. The crows were with him.

“Let’s save him.”

 

000

 

_“Move faster! Cling tighter! Use the fangs and claws you’ve all been gifted with! Do you want to starve?! No? Then get moving, our pack needs food!” he roared._

_Pain flared in his side and at his throat. Victorious howls rent the air as he finally hit the snow._

_Kindaichi stared down at him with disgust and vicious satisfaction. “We’re sick of doing your dirty work,_ King. _You should just stay down and die like the tyrant you are.”_

_Oikawa’s blank, unsmiling face, buried under the facade of pleasantry, as he left the pack under Kageyama’s leadership flashed before him. “Goodbye, Tobio-chan.”_

_Iwaizumi gave him an apologetic glance and a curt nod before he vanished into the forest after the other wolf. “Take care now, Kageyama. Don’t be a stranger.”_

_Stop, he wanted to say. Don’t leave me. Come back._

_He saw red, like the sunsets. Red, like the color of fresh blood. His blood. Unknown voices in the snow. Warmth tingling through his bones. And something orange, a smile as bright as the sun, before it was eclipsed by something big and black—_

 

000

 

Kageyama woke up with a scream. He heard alarmed voices around him, felt hands pushing him down, holding him down, restraining him, _no, NO, GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF!_ He thrashed wildly, desperately trying to throw them off, and barely registered that he’d shifted back to his humanoid form sometime while he was unconscious. He couldn’t fall here. He couldn’t die here. He needed to show them who’s the alpha here! He was the _King!_

He felt something cool tingle over his skin and instantly a calming sensation washed over him. He slumped into the plush cushion he lied on, blinking groggily up at the crowd of unfamiliar faces that stared worriedly down at him. Huh, that was new. When was the last time he saw someone look that concerned over his well-being? Not since…not since Oikawa and Iwaizumi had left the pack.

“Have you calmed down now?” he heard a voice say. It was deep and baritone and belonged to a broad-shouldered man with cropped black hair. The small black feathers poking out from the ends of his hair and along various parts of his skin marked him as some sort of bird shapeshifter. “You gave us quite a scare there, you know. Can you talk at all?”

Kageyama’s tongue felt heavy and unresponsive in his mouth. He settled for shaking his head slowly, and even that took effort.

“You might want to tone it down a little, Kiyoko,” the fair-haired man said to the black-haired beauty standing next to him. “I think he’ll be alright.”

Kageyama sort of recognized her. Resplendent in her robes of silk, which shimmered and rippled gently around her in a myriad of rainbow colors, and with a pair of magnificent, paper-thin, butterfly-like wings protruding from her back, Shimizu Kiyoko was hailed as the undisputed Queen of Fairies, just as he was known as the King of Wolves. Her unparalleled beauty, impassive demeanor, and amazing healing powers made her incredibly popular with the male population of shapeshifters living in the forest. She must have been the one to bring him back from the brink of death. Which was, well... Kageyama didn’t know how else to say it, it was a goddamn _miracle_ that he had survived the brutal betrayal.

The calming thrall she had him under lifted slightly. Kageyama could focus a little better on the people around him, but without the madness he had woken with.

“Where am I?” were the first words out his mouth, and he snapped his jaws shut in mortification when he realized he sounded pissed off.

To their credit, the crowd just laughed. The bird shapeshifter—wait, except for the Fairy Queen and the orange runt hiding behind the fair-haired man, they all bore marks of being bird shapeshifters—gave him an amused smile and said, “I think the more pressing question is ‘ _who_ are you.’ I’m Sawamura Daichi, the leader of this motley group of crow shapeshifters, aside from Kiyoko and Hinata. Everyone calls me Daichi.”

“...Kageyama,” he muttered after a moment. “Kageyama Tobio. I’m a wolf.”

“Whoa whoa, does that mean you’re _the_ Kageyama we hear about? The King of Wolves?” the crow shapeshifter with a shaved head exclaimed. He yelped loudly when Daichi elbowed him in the side and the fair-haired man hissed at him to be quiet, but hearing the nickname again made Kageyama involuntarily flinch. He gripped the cushion beneath him tightly, feeling a tremor in his muscles as flashes of the betrayal ran through his mind.

A hand came down on his shoulder, jolting him back to the present. He looked up, right into the warm honey-brown eyes of the trembling orange-haired kid who now stood next to him. The fluffy orange locks, black-tipped triangular ears, and bushy tail screamed of fox shapeshifter. He was clad in a simple auburn robe that neatly showcased all of his foxy characteristics, but also brought out the impossibly bright color of his unruly hair. Kageyama instinctively bristled, sensing a weaker predator in his personal space. He felt the need to project his dominance over the fox, to show him who was _alpha_ , but Kageyama shoved the instinct down as far as he could. The crows wouldn’t react well to him attacking one of their friends. He had little doubt that if he crossed them, he would die for sure this time.

The fox shapeshifter trembled, as if he could feel the ill will of Kageyama’s inner instincts, but he resolutely kept his hand clamped onto the wolf’s shoulder.

“I’m Hinata Shouyou,” he declared solemnly. “I’m a fox shapeshifter. I don’t like wolves, but you seem alright.” He took his hand back and retreated slightly as if fearing retribution. Kageyama didn’t miss the concerned looks sent his way by the crows. The fair-haired man even slung a feathery arm around Hinata and whispered something in his ear that made him perk up.

Something foreign stirred in his breast at the sight. The wolf shapeshifters were a social bunch; it came with their nature. But nobody had tried to foster such close camaraderie with him. No one other than Oikawa and Iwaizumi had tried. Kageyama’s standoffish nature had made sure of that.

It galled him to admit that the close bond that Hinata clearly shared with the crows actually made him jealous (just a little bit). For a split second he wondered if he could have that too, before he decided that it was probably too selfish to wish for something like that after being betrayed by the only family he had ever known. If he opened himself up again, even the smallest crack, surely he would become vulnerable once more. And that, he could not afford.

When the fair-haired shapeshifter finally drew away from Hinata, he looked at Kageyama and gave him an angelic smile that simultaneously relaxed him and made his guard go up. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, but you can just call me Suga. I’m Daichi’s partner and the co-leader of this murder of crows,” he said cheerfully.

Directly afterwards, the loud-mouthed, shaved-head crow stuck his feather-coated hand out and grabbed Kageyama’s hand. Before he could protest this sudden intrusion of space, he loudly announced, “Tanaka Ryuunosuke! Nice to meet you!” He punctuated each syllable of his introduction by aggressively shaking Kageyama’s hand. The wolf had to forcefully tug his appendage out of the crow shifter’s grip and scramble backwards as far as he could manage on the cushion in order to put some distance between them. The belligerent crow didn’t seem to take offense, thankfully; he simply threw his head back and guffawed noisily. Suga took him by the arm and led him away, throwing a sheepish and slightly apologetic look over his shoulder.

Kageyama was eternally grateful for his timely intervention. The other three crows came forward and simply told him their names with no dramatic and unnecessary theatrics involved. He was appreciative of that, too. He didn’t miss when Suga returned to the room, having successfully distracted Tanaka with something else.

The wolf shifted against the cushion, trying to get more comfortable. He was starting to feel drowsy again, but this time it wasn’t influenced by Kiyoko’s power. He was simply tired. Watching the crows’ antics and interactions with the Fairy Queen and the little fox shapeshifter made him feel twice as exhausted. Some paranoid part of his mind yelled at him to keep his guard up against potential enemies, but Kageyama knew that if they had wanted him dead, they wouldn’t have saved him from his snowy grave.

It wouldn’t hurt to get more rest in the meantime…

He drifted off into a dreamless slumber, barely registering Suga’s voice whispering kind words to him as he fell asleep, and feeling someone’s soft fingers stroking through his hair.

 

000

 

Hinata knew that sometimes he let his curiosity get the best of him. It was an innate part of him that he couldn’t get rid of, and it was what got his biological family killed. But the very same curiosity led him to find Kageyama, and prompted him to make the decision to save him.

That curiosity now had the fox leaning over the slumbering wolf shapeshifter and examining his face. His eyes were closed, but when they had been open earlier, Hinata had seen that they were a brilliant shade of deep blue. There were patches of white fuzz along his nose, cheeks, and jawline that disappeared into his straight black hair. Thin, jagged black stripes curved underneath the corners of his eyes. Furry dark-gray ears sat on his head and twitched slightly in his sleep whenever Hinata or someone else moved around the den.

Overall it was an attractive face. Hinata couldn’t help being a little envious, considering his own was softer, rounder, and more along the lines of ‘adorable’ rather than ‘mature’. But slackened in sleep like this, Kageyama didn’t seem dangerous at all. It was striking in a way that Hinata couldn’t explain.

“Hinata,” a soft voice spoke behind him, making him jump and puff out his tail in surprise. He looked at Suga indignantly from where he’d fallen on the floor. The white crow tittered at him from behind a raised hand.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” Suga said, holding out a hand to help the fox up. “I just wanted you to know that it’s almost dark outside and you should go out and hunt while you can.”

Already?! He leaped to his feet, almost forgetting to keep his voice down as he raced past Suga, “Aaaah, I need food!”

He transformed into his smaller animal form and took a flying leap right out of the entrance of the den. The smell of wolves had faded in the few days that Kageyama had been unconscious, so it was easier to pick up on the scent of prey nearby. Hinata usually avoided eating birds as a courtesy to his crow-shifter family, but their eggs were fair game. But then again, bird eggs were usually a spring season delicacy. He’d have to make due with mice and rabbits for now.

When he returned to the den with a full belly, Kageyama was still asleep. The crow shapeshifters had also settled down for the night, with the exception of Suga and Daichi who were conversing between themselves quietly. Hinata slunk past them and curled up on a cushion pad next to the resting wolf. Kageyama still smelled of danger, but right now he also smelled like anxiety, fear, betrayal, and relief. Hinata didn’t like that. If sleeping nearby gave the wolf some semblance of peace, then he would be here, ready and willing to help.

Kageyama might be a wolf, but he wasn’t the one who killed Hinata’s family. He didn’t make his parents’ faces or Natsu’s flare up in his head like angry scars of the past. That made Kageyama alright in his books, as long as the wolf didn’t try to outright attack him.

He closed his eyes and sank into a blissful sleep.

When Hinata woke up, someone’s hand was petting him. He let out a sleepy noise and curled closer to the warmth he could sense to his right. The hand paused momentarily, before it resumed. He was too cozy to move. He wanted to sleep a little more.

Who was petting him though? The hand didn’t feel as soft as Suga’s, nor as firm as Daichi’s. Tanaka was the kind of person who woke him up by shouting a morning greeting. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita never petted him, but they didn’t mind playing with him. Asahi was off hibernating somewhere for the winter, and Nishinoya was with him. So who…?

He opened his eyes and uncurled himself, subconsciously sniffing the air to see if he could tell who it was. He was not expecting to see Kageyama less than a foot away from him, with his hand frozen in the air as Hinata moved. He let out a shriek and tumbled backwards off the cushion, scrambling to his feet and letting his fur bristle outwards.

Kageyama slowly lowered his hand, his face twisting into a scowl. “You didn’t have to scream,” he grumbled, retreating back to his own cushion. His ears were slightly lowered, and his tail flicked behind him with a sad swish.

Hinata cocked his head to the side curiously. Was the wolf embarrassed that he got caught stroking Hinata’s fur while he was sleeping? That was actually kind of adorable. He yipped loudly to catch Kageyama’s attention, then padded across the floor to the cushion that the wolf shapeshifter was using as a bed. Kageyama watched him impassively.

Upon reaching the cushion, Hinata sat back on his haunches and stared at the wolf. Kageyama stared back. They didn’t let up in their impromptu staring contest until Tanaka burst into the room, demanding to know who the hell woke him up screaming. Daichi, Suga, and the rest of the crows stumbled in drowsily after him, yawning.

Hinata shifted back to his humanoid form and pointed a finger accusingly at Kageyama’s scowling face. “This guy was petting me when I woke up!” he announced.

If anything, that declaration made Kageyama’s face look like a thunderstorm. It took all of Hinata’s willpower not to whimper at the sight and just hide behind Suga like usual.

The aforementioned crow sighed, “And is that bad? You know you like to be petted in your animal form.”

The fox shapeshifter flushed pink. “T-that’s not the point!” he stammered, feeling even more embarrassed when everyone let out light-hearted and sleepy chuckles. “Guys! That’s not funny, stop it! Hey!”

“Calm down, we’re just teasing you,” Ennoshita said, flapping a hand at him and grinning. Hinata pouted at him.

Daichi turned to address Kageyama, “How are you feeling today?”

“Better,” the wolf replied quietly. He tried to stand up, but nearly ended up falling on his face. It was only Tanaka’s quick reflexes that saved him from eating dirt.

“Whoa there! You were saved from the brink of death not too long ago, you should take it easy!” he said, pushing Kageyama to lay back down on the comfortable cushion. “Try to relax, we aren’t enemies here.”

Kageyama looked like he wanted to argue or protest or _something_ like he didn’t need to be pitied and protected. Well, Hinata would be having none of that. He didn’t decide to save this guy’s life on a whim only for him to undo all of Kiyoko’s hard work several days later. He stepped up beside Tanaka and jabbed a finger straight between the wolf’s eyes.

“Listen to Tanaka-san! We saved your life, so don’t be so ungrateful!” he growled, glaring hard at the unhappy shapeshifter. Kageyama’s lips curled back in a snarl, showing off his pointy white teeth.

Daichi clapped a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no rush, is there? Just wait one more day, we’ll help you back to your feet starting tomorrow,” he persuaded warmly. His steely eyes told an entirely different story: _if you resist and injure yourself again when we just healed you, I will kill you myself, is that clear?_

Kageyama glowered at them, but grudgingly complied. Hinata knew Daichi could be scary sometimes, but he basically just intimidated an _alpha_ male wolf into submission. And here he’d thought his respect for Daichi couldn’t get any higher!

Suga laughed lightly when he saw the stars in Hinata’s eyes. “Daichi does have that effect on people, doesn’t he?” he hummed.

The little fox wholeheartedly agreed. Oh, how he wished he could be a crow too! His adopted family could fly away into the skies, to endless air and freedom, but Hinata was forever grounded.

 

000

 

“...He didn’t die.”

“I can see that! How the hell did he survive?”

“I’ve heard that the Fairy Queen is capable of healing the most grievous wounds.”

“That bitch… well fine then. If we ever come across him again, we’ll make sure he stays dead.”

“I thought our main goal now is finding Oikawa and Iwaizumi?”

“It is. But if Kageyama gets in our way—”

“—kill him.”

 

000

 

Another week had passed since Kageyama first woke up. In that time, the crow shapeshifters had helped him get back to his feet and be able to walk around on his own without using anybody as a crutch. They didn’t shy away from him when he transformed into his animal form, although Hinata always conveniently made an excuse to leave whenever he did so.

The corner’s of Suga’s eyes crinkled with his smile when Kageyama asked if Hinata was afraid of him.

“Ah, Hinata does not have the best experience with wolves. All I can tell you is that you will have to be patient with him,” he explained, brushing a few loose feathers from his hair. If Kageyama was more romantically-inclined, he might have blushed at how pretty Suga looked even doing the slightest action, his fine ash-blond hair glowing under the warm light of the den. As it was, he just frowned harder at the floor.

How could someone who seemed to embody the sun be so unbelievably fragile?

Suga gave him a sad smile and a little push. “Just talk to him,” he said. “You’ll understand why soon enough.”

So later that night, when everyone else was settling down for a long night of sleep and Hinata was gearing up for another successful hunt, Kageyama cornered him. The little fox bristled in fear and placed himself in a guarded stance as the larger wolf walked towards him.

“W-what do you w-want? A fight? Come on, I’ll t-take you on any time!” the smaller shapeshifter stammered, holding his hands up. His ears, rather than sticking upwards like normal, had shifted so that they were pointing backwards and lying closer to his skull.

Kageyama stopped a good distance away and, despite his instincts screaming at him, tried to make himself seem as least imposing as possible.

It wasn’t very successful. Hinata still looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.

Kageyama grimaced, then attempted a smile.

Hinata _shrieked._

He suddenly propelled himself forward and shot straight past Kageyama, the end of his bushy tail disappearing through the entryway before Kageyama could blink. The wolf dropped his sad attempt of a smile immediately, his default thundercloud expression resurfacing. He had half a mind to follow after the fox, but he had a feeling that that would just make Hinata even more likely to run away from him.

Kageyama paused for a moment to see if anyone had heard Hinata’s tiny scream. There was movement from one of the rooms. Suga poked his head out. Not registering Hinata’s presence anywhere in the vicinity, he turned his sleepy gray eyes onto Kageyama’s form frozen in front of the entrance to the den.

“You scared him, didn’t you?” he sighed, shuffling forward.

Kageyama’s glare could wither a tree.

Suga yawned in response, completely unfazed after years of dealing with Daichi. “Shift into your other form. I want to try something, okay?” he said gently.

The wolf was a little suspicious, but complied easily. Suga directed him to lay down next to the wall, not too close to the entrance, but not too far away. Then, starting with the fine fur growing over his skull, Suga began to skillfully comb through Kageyama’s thick winter coat.

He would forever deny it, but at that moment he could swear that Suga’s feathery fingers were _magic._

He was so blissed-out that he nearly missed Suga’s next words, “I know you’re a predator, Kageyama, but scaring Hinata is not a good way to get him to talk to you.”

The black-furred wolf let out an incoherent grumble at that.

“Daichi and I will speak to Hinata tomorrow and try to get him to talk to you, alright? So don’t look so gloomy all time.” Suga shifted so that his fingers were scratching gently at the base of Kageyama’s fluffy ears. He nearly purred out loud at that—only his human pride kept him from doing it because of how embarrassing it was. “But I want you to try to talk to Hinata, too. I know you haven’t shared your sordid past with us, but I want you to know that we are not here to judge, shun, dismiss, or condemn you. If you’re earnest with us, we will listen to you.”

A part of him was still skeptical about this whole thing, about putting his trust in another group of shapeshifters so soon after his pack’s betrayal. Kageyama didn’t trust them yet, but they did heal him. That warranted some sort of grudging respect and acknowledgement, at least.

The other parts of him were, quite frankly, _relieved_ to hear Suga’s words. Thoughts in your head sounded much more solid and real when they were spoken.

The wolf shapeshifter gave a little huff to show that he had heard. He could almost feel Suga’s smile and contentment through his fingers, even if he couldn’t see the crow’s face.

Kageyama couldn’t pinpoint when he fell asleep, but at some point during the night, he thought he smelled Hinata near him. He absently butted his head against the warm hand carefully stroking through his fur, not noticing when the hand faltered and drew back. Normally he hated being touched, but after Suga had worked his magic, he was feeling slightly more gracious, especially in his current half-asleep state. He gave a little rumble of approval when the petting resumed after a few seconds, and quickly drifted back off to sleep.

He didn’t hear the soft _“goodnight, Kageyama”_ whispered to him afterwards.

 

000

 

Meanwhile in the depths of a forest far, far away, two shapeshifters turned away from a newly-erected gray gravestone and decided it was time to go home.

"Stay close, I don't want you wandering off and getting shot by idiot hunters who don't know any better."

"Okay, Tsukki."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found this partially complete thing on my Google Drive that I started a few months ago and forgot about, lmao. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Please leave a comment before you go~


	2. A King's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun in the snow leads to a glorious reunion.

The next day brought with it a snowstorm so fierce that not even Kageyama, with all his pig-headed stubbornness, dared to weather it. When the temperature in the den harshly dropped, everyone was forced to shift into their secondary animal forms and huddle up together in a haphazard dogpile in the middle of the largest room to keep themselves warm. Being the only two shapeshifters with fur, both Hinata and Kageyama formed the edges of the pile while all the crows bunched up between them.

It was chaotic at the beginning. Kageyama snapped at Hinata several times because the fox’s bushy tail kept flicking into his face and making him sneeze, Hinata snarled back because Kageyama’s own tail kept smacking him in retaliation, and Tanaka tried to claim superiority over his fellow crows by struggling his way to the top of the dogpile. There was much noise and confusion involved.

In the end, Daichi had to shift back into his human state and yell at them to _“shut up and go to sleep, damn it, or so help me I will sit on all of you until you do!”_ The den was blissfully quiet after that. No one wanted to bring Daichi’s wrath down upon their heads.

Kageyama cast a last, sleepy glance at the sight of his fellow shifters settling down to wait out the storm, and allowed himself to wonder if it was worth it. If he didn’t earn his place here, would he be cast aside again? Even though Suga had said they wouldn’t, Kageyama was no longer so open with his trust. That had nearly cost him his life last time. He wasn’t keen on repeating that experience so soon.

He closed his eyes, willing himself to doze off before he could sink any deeper into his own head. Fragments of memories mixed with the ambiguity of dreams began to float across the surface of his mind.

 

_There had been a time, once, when he had been wholly accepted by his pack. A time when Iwaizumi would grin and slap him across the back after bringing in a kill, when Oikawa would actually smile at him instead of smirking and taunting every time he lost a spar._

_“Nice catch, Kageyama!” Kageyama might be dirty and scuffed up, but he would beam in the face of praise._

_“Hey, I’m Kunimi Akira. Your name is Kageyama, right? Nice to meet you.” That was when he first met Kunimi and one of the only times he’d ever see the other wolf smile at him, no lingering animosity or bottled hostility between them._

_The memory faded away into wisps of mist, leaving Kageyama in the darkness. A bloody moon hung in the sky overhead, casting an eerie light over the scene. He saw himself lying pitifully in the snow as Kindaichi towered over him, his face warped with sheer loathing._

_“You’re a disgrace to all shapeshifters, so go rot in hell, King.” Kindaichi’s eyes glowed with an unholy light. Kageyama’s red, red blood was splattered down the length of his jaw and neck._

_Suddenly Daichi’s face was superimposed over Kindaichi’s, his eyes like deep, dark black holes boring into Kageyama’s soul. “You’re unreasonably bull-headed and disobedient, we don’t need someone like you in our family.” He reached out with a single feathery hand as if to slap the wolf across the face. Kageyama flinched back automatically._

_Before Daichi’s hand could make contact, a pale arm shot out of the darkness and gently turned him away. Kageyama found himself gazing into Suga’s warm gray eyes. “We’re not here to judge, shun, dismiss, or condemn you,” he said, his voice echoing and bouncing off invisible walls, patience, resignation, understanding, and sorrow woven into its soft timbre._

_As Suga’s face faded away, a bright light flashed before his eyes, forcing him to close them. When he opened them again, he was sitting in a grassy field, surrounded by colorful wildflowers. The sun was pleasantly warm against his fur. Hinata and Tanaka were chasing each other around, laughing gaily and occasionally dragging the other crows into their little game. Suga and Daichi watched over them fondly from a distance._

_Can I have that? Am I allowed to hope that I can have that? Kageyama watched and wondered, an outsider looking into a domestic scene. He was bruised and beaten and hurting, surely… surely he could hope that one day, he would be accepted._

_The sky turned black in an instant, lightning and bloody rain falling down upon him. Bullets screamed through the air, the agonized cries of his brethren filling his head as the humans advanced through the forest. “Run, Tobio! Run!” He was a young and helpless pup when his birth pack was eradicated by humans, the beat of their war drums and the sounds of their death march mowing down and burning the only home he’s ever known forever ingrained in his mind._

_“Tobio, I know it hurts, but you must not cry. You must not show weakness, no matter what.” It had been a struggle for his mother to raise him alone, as they were the only survivors of that tragedy._

_“This is what loss is, Tobio. Remember it. Burn it into your memory. And become stronger, so that you will never lose again.” Those were his father’s last words before the world erupted into flames, the ashes of their home and the other wolves’ bodies falling down around them, the blood of the shapeshifters staining the snow a deep, dark crimson color._

_In the blink of an eye, Kageyama found himself watching in abject terror as the same fate befell the crows. And he could not, and would not, allow that to happen to the people who so graciously saved him from certain death._

_Hinata’s furious, but devastated face appeared in front of him, making him take an involuntary step back. “Kageyama,” the fox shapeshifter choked out in a grief-stricken voice._ **“I hate you.”** _That was all he said before he was swallowed up by the blaze that claimed his family’s lives, leaving Kageyama alone._

_Always and forever alone._

 

Kageyama jerked awake in the darkness of the den, tears trailing down his snout. Everyone else was fast asleep; all except one.

A lone gray eye blinked open, its owner reaching out and gently brushing away his tears with the tips of his white feathers. Suga uttered a soft, questioning croon.

_Are you alright?_

The wolf slowly shook his head.

_I’m fine. Just a bad dream._

The white crow didn’t seem convinced by his reply, because he began to quietly hum a soothing lullaby. Daichi made a noise next to him and unconsciously snuggled closer. Suga looked fondly exasperated by the action, but he didn’t stop humming, and soon enough, Kageyama found himself drifting back off to sleep. This time there were no more dreams.

 

000

 

The snowstorm howled throughout the night, finally abating under the weak morning light of early dawn. The landscape gleamed pure and white, the ugly, gnarled gray tree trunks rising out of the snow like citadels of evil, their bare branches jutting up towards the sky. The evergreen bush covering the entrance to Hinata’s den parted with a hiss as the little fox poked his head out to observe the state of the scenery.

He spied a large snowdrift not too far from him. It looked so soft and fluffy and inviting, a powdery pile of perfection that begged to be ruined. Well, Hinata was never one to pass up a good opportunity for fun. He took a flying leap out of the entrance, letting out a squeal as he sank so far into the snowdrift that his whole body disappeared from sight.

He burst out of the snow next to the giant pile, furiously shaking his fur free of the icy crystals. He heard a muffled snort and glared in the direction of the den, where he could see Kageyama casually slinking out. His charcoal-black fur stood out against the snow like night and day.

Hinata sat back on his haunches and watched him, his curiosity winning out over his pride for the moment.

The wolf was eyeing another snowdrift a little farther away. He coiled the powerful muscles in his legs, tensing for a brief second, before he jumped from his position. The snow at his feet exploded from the force of the leap, as did the snowdrift that was his target. Snow went everywhere, some of it flying far enough to hit Hinata and bury him a second time, much to his ire.

When he fought himself free, he glared at Kageyama, who was sitting in a ruined pile of snow, pretty as you please, with the biggest, smuggest smirk a wolf could make. _I win,_  his eyes said.

Hinata blew him a raspberry. He then proceeded to hop all over the place, destroying smaller piles of snow and kicking some in Kageyama’s direction. The wolf boredly flicked the assault attempts away with a nonchalant sweep of his tail. Hinata came to stop a few yards away, pouting at his inability to faze the other shapeshifter.

Several voices came from the den, alerting the two predators that the crows were coming outside.

Feeling mischievous, Hinata bounded over and used his bushy tail to launch a wave of snow in their direction. Ennoshita and Suga, who were at the front of the group, caught the brunt of it. Suga gracefully dodged, not a single strand of hair out of place. Ennoshita fell over spluttering.

“Hey, hey, don’t involve us in this!” he protested, flailing upwards. Hinata rocked back on his hindquarters and let out a barking laugh.

“Aw, don’t be such a partypooper, Ennoshita!” Tanaka said, bending low to the ground to scoop up a handful of snow. He packed it together between his hands. “Let’s see you try to dodge this, Hinata!” He cocked his arm back and threw the snowball forward with all his might, pitching it towards the diminutive fox with the force of a cannonball.

Hinata burrowed under the snow just in time. The snowball exploded against a thick tree trunk behind him, leaving a sizable hole in the bark. The fox popped out a little farther away, shifting back to his humanoid form so that he could holler back, “You’re on, Tanaka-san!” With a big, shit-eating grin taking up a good portion of his face, he squatted down to scoop up some snow.

The boisterous young crow turned to Kageyama where he still sat in his ruined snowdrift. “You too, Kageyama! I challenge you guys to a snowball fight!” he exclaimed, shaping another snowball with his hands.

Kageyama bared his teeth with a wolfish smile. It only took a second for him to switch to his humanoid form. “Challenge accepted,” he said, a competitive gleam shining in his eyes.

As dense clumps of snow began to hurtle back and forth between the three shifters, Daichi sighed and shook his head ruefully. Honestly, he felt like he took care of a bunch of children sometimes.

“Don’t forget that we came out here to look for food, you idiots,” he groaned in exasperation.

“Now, now, let them have their fun,” Suga placated soothingly, patting him lightly on one muscular arm. “Besides, it’s the middle of winter. We won’t be finding much anyway.”

“Ah, Narita, Kinoshita, and I can go foraging while you guys stay here,” Ennoshita offered. “Wouldn’t want to get caught up in Tanaka’s little three-way war over there.”

“I heard that, Ennoshita!” A snowball came flying in their direction, but the thrower’s aim was slightly off, and rather than hitting its intended target, it swerved and smacked Daichi straight in the face.

There was a moment of ominous silence as everyone froze in place. The partially-melted remains of the snowball seemed to slide off Daichi’s face in slow motion, revealing his shadowed eyes and the downwards slant of his unsmiling mouth. When he looked up, he growled the guilty party’s name darkly, enunciating each syllable with tightly-controlled rage, “Ta-na- _ka…”_

Tanaka blanched. “Run away!” he yelped, trying to make a fast getaway into the woods. Daichi advanced on him at an alarming rate, seeming to loom over the other shapeshifter even though they were roughly the same height.

Hinata fell backwards into another snowdrift, laughing loudly at Tanaka’s panicked expression. However his laughter quickly turned into an indignant squawk when the snow perched precariously on the bare boughs above his head fell off and buried him. The fox launched himself out of the pile, landing near Kageyama’s feet. He shook his head to get all the snow off, using his hands to pat white clumps from his unruly orange hair, his ears twitching in discomfort.

“What an idiot,” Kageyama snorted, rolling his eyes as Hinata shook the snow out of his tail.

“What was that, you jerk?” Hinata snapped, glaring up at the larger shapeshifter. He hastily scooped up some snow and launched it right into Kageyama’s face, making the wolf sputter at the impact. Hinata stuck his tongue out and flashed a victory sign to Suga. The pale crow watching them from the sidelines laughed.

When Kageyama wiped the last of the snow from his face, he turned his murderous gaze onto the little fox. Hinata squeaked in terror and tried to run away as fast as his shorter legs could carry him. The wolf pounced, making Hinata face-plant into the snow with a loud wail.

“Got you,” Kageyama said, showing off his incredibly sharp teeth with a deadly smirk. He proceeded to mercilessly sling snow over Hinata’s flailing form.

“Ack! Get off!” The fox rolled away from the assault, switching to his animal form in a flash and slapping Kageyama in the face with his tail hard enough to make the other shapeshifter rear back with a disgruntled look. Then the little fox darted away into the scraggly underbrush.

Kageyama snarled loudly, also changing back to his animal form, and chased after him. He wasn’t going to let Hinata get away with that!

 

000

 

“Psst, Asahi. Wake up.”

“...”

“Hey, Daichi-san and the others are back. Don’t you want to see them? Hey, Asahi, answer me.”

“...”

“Asahi. Wake up, you stupid overgrown furball!”

The great brown lump snoring away on a pile of dead leaves in the middle of the cave didn’t so much as twitch at Nishinoya’s kick, to his ire.

 _“Asahiii,”_ Nishinoya huffed, annoyed. He proceeded to jump on the other shapeshifter’s furry back and climb up to the top. Then he lightly slapped Asahi on the snout several times. “Wake up, damn it!"

Asahi let out a loud snort, but didn’t wake up. Then he rolled over, making the smaller shapeshifter lose his footing and fall off. Nishinoya landed in the pile of leaves with a loud crunch.

Visibly irritated now, Nishinoya got to his feet and let the spines growing out of his back bristle outwards. He eyed Asahi’s exposed flank. That should be good enough.

“Rolling… Thunder!” he shouted, taking a running leap and cannonballing into the other shapeshifter’s side, making sure his spines pricked—but didn’t pierce—the skin beneath all that fur.

Asahi grumbled at the unexpected assault and finally opened his eyes. He heaved himself up with a bit of effort, letting out a sleepy, questioning growl when he didn’t sense any threat.

Nishinoya relaxed his spines. He swatted Asahi’s nearest leg to get his attention. “Asahi, Daichi-san and the others are back! Let’s go see them!” he said excitedly, pumping a fist into the air.

At his words, the bear perked up and nodded. He lumbered over to the entrance of the cave, which was neatly blocked off by a large boulder and some strategically placed vegetation. Nishinoya watched as the other shapeshifter pushed the boulder to the side with ease. He pouted for a moment. He could never do that, being the hedgehog shifter that he was.

But, he thought as he jumped onto Asahi’s back, that was why they were hibernation buddies. In his animal form, he was small and fairly vulnerable, his spines being his only form of protection against wild, non-shifter predators. But nobody would dare to attack him while he was with Asahi, because they would risk a fully-grown bear’s rage.

Asahi let the smaller shapeshifter cling to him without protest as he trooped outside into the frozen world of the woods.

The chilly air hit Nishinoya’s exposed skin and he shivered. It was freezing out here! If it wasn’t for his desire to see Daichi and Suga and all the other crows again, he would have stayed with Asahi in that nice warm den until spring. He switched to his animal form and burrowed into the thick fur around Asahi’s neck, using his tiny claws to hold on. Asahi seemed to notice the change because he walked a little slower and made sure not to dislodge the hedgehog. Nishinoya was grateful for that.

It wasn’t long before they heard the sound of a fox yipping in fright and the deep, menacing growl of an adult wolf. Nishinoya thought the fox sounded like Hinata. After all, there were very few of them living in this particular forest. If there was a wolf nearby, Hinata was probably in danger.

Asahi seemed to think so too, because he began to lope towards the noise at a faster pace than before, albeit still mindful of Nishinoya’s precarious position against his neck.

Just through a small grove of bare brown trees not fifty feet from them, they saw a large black wolf leap into the air and tackle a small orange fox to the ground, the snow flying up around them. Hinata’s squeal of surprise was muffled as he was buried beneath the icy flakes. All of Nishinoya’s animal instincts immediately screamed **_threat._ ** His friend was about to die!

He quickly returned to his humanoid form, yelling desperately, _“Asahi!”_

The bear shapeshifter roared furiously at the sight and began to rush towards the wolf. The meaty thud of his giant paws pounding against the snow almost made the ground quake from the force. They burst through the trees a moment later, Asahi poised to strike the other apex predator with his deadly claws.

“Get away from Hinata, you beast!” Nishinoya shouted.

The wolf saw them coming and instantly jumped backwards, a guarded look coming over its face. Good, it could tell that it was clearly outmatched. There was some other emotion lurking in its dark-blue eyes—curiosity, perhaps?

Hang on, since when did wolves have eyes that particular shade of blue? Was the wolf another shapeshifter? Nishinoya slid off Asahi’s back and regarded the black wolf with a narrow, pointed gaze. Asahi was still bristling beside him, his teeth bared and claws unsheathed, but made no move to attack again with the other predator now away from his friend.

There was tension in the air as the wolf, the bear, and the hedgehog all stared at each other.

The silence was broken when the snow exploded upward and Hinata tumbled out in fox form, shaking his fur out. He looked up and saw Nishinoya first, joy lighting up his furry face. The spiny shapeshifter couldn’t deny that both he and Asahi relaxed the moment they realized that Hinata was completely unharmed.

The fox switched to his human form, greeting them with uncontained enthusiasm, “Noya-san! Asahi-san!” He flew towards Asahi and jumped, clinging to the bear’s furry belly with a huge grin. He rubbed his cheek against Asahi’s fur contentedly. “I thought I wasn’t going to see you guys until spring!”

Asahi let out a good-natured huff, one giant paw gently patting Hinata on the back of his auburn robe. Nishinoya puffed his chest out. “And miss seeing your squinty face all winter? You wish!” he said, putting his hands on his hips. He turned his head back to the wolf, which was passively sitting on its haunches and watching them with a neutral expression. “What’s the deal with this thing anyway? Asahi and I saw it attack you, but you don’t look any worse for wear.”

Hinata let go of Asahi to explain, “That’s Kageyama! He wasn’t attacking me, we were actually having a snowball fight earlier! Then he was all _gwahh_ and it was scary, so I had to go _whoosh!_ And then you guys were all _rawr_ out of nowhere, which was pretty cool, but you almost hurt Kageyama and that’s not cool.”

Nishinoya could swear he saw the wolf’s nonexistent eyebrow twitch. In a second, the black wolf was replaced by a humanoid form with charcoal-black hair, dark-gray ears, and a long, swishy black tail. “What kind of idiot speak was that just now?” he asked, scowling. _“Gwah_ and _whoosh_ and _rawr,_ what does that even mean?”

“Rude!” Hinata stuck his tongue out and threw snow at him. Kageyama dodged and retaliated with a crudely-shaped snowball.

Nishinoya watched the exchange with a smile. So this Kageyama was another shapeshifter, was he? The name sounded familiar, but where had he…

WAIT A MINUTE. Kageyama was a wolf. The _King of Wolves?!_

“No way!” he blurted out, unable to help himself.

Everyone gave him puzzled expressions, Hinata and Kageyama each holding a snowball ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

“You, Kageyama! You’re the King the Wolves, aren’t you? What are you doing out here so far away from your pack? And why’re you with Hinata? You better not be trying to lure him away, or I will make you regret it!” the spiny shapeshifter declared, pointing a single shaking finger at the aforementioned black wolf.

Kageyama flinched at the accusations and his whole body seemed to droop with fear and grief, his ears flattening against his skull, and his tail hanging limply behind him and no longer swishing. The snowball fell back down to join its brethren as his hands clenched into fists. Nishinoya instantly felt guilty. Both Hinata and Asahi gave him reproachful looks. How the hell did a bear manage to pull off such an admonishing expression anyway?

“Noya-san,” Hinata began, looking somewhat upset, “Kageyama’s pack betrayed him. He’s… staying with us, now.”

Way to make him feel like a monumental asshole. Nishinoya turned to Kageyama and dipped his head, saying loudly, “Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I swear. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to hurt Hinata!"

The wolf shapeshifter muttered, “It’s fine.” His fists uncurled and now hung by his hips. He still stood apart from them, but he looked less like he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Hinata forgave him the moment he apologized. “Thanks, Noya-san!” he chirped, a sunny smile gracing his face again.

Nishinoya inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around, “Now that I think about it, where’s everyone else?”

“Oh! They’re probably wondering where we are,” Hinata said, wincing. He gave Kageyama a small glare. “This is your fault for chasing me all the way out here, you jerk.”

“Hah?! Like hell it is, dumbass. You’re the one who kept running away!” Kageyama snapped back, scowling darkly.

“Who wouldn’t run with a mean, nasty wolf gunning for them?!” Hinata exclaimed, the fur on his tail bristling with indignation.

“Why, you—” Kageyama made a flying leap and tackled the fox into the snow again, completely forgetting about Asahi and Nishinoya. Hinata snarled at him. They began to tussle on the ground like children, snapping at each other and rolling around in a blur of fur and fangs.

The hedgehog shifter sighed. “We’re going nowhere with this,” he complained. He gazed up at the bear with a pleading gaze. “C’mon, Asahi, a little help here?”

Asahi nodded and transformed into his tall, scruffy humanoid form, draped with furs. He strode over to the two fighting shapeshifters, grabbing each one by the back of their clothes and hoisting them both into the air with ease. Both Hinata and Kageyama yelped at the sudden change in height, dangling comically from the bear shapeshifter’s hands like ragdolls in the wind.

“Stop fighting, you two,” Asahi scolded them. “We want to get a move on, alright?”

“Eheh, sorry, Asahi-san,” Hinata said sheepishly, lifting one hand to the back of his head. Kageyama crossed his arms and grumbled. He hadn’t been picked up and admonished like this since he had been a young pup; it was kind of embarrassing. This was all Hinata’s fault, of course.

Asahi set them back on their feet. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have picked you up without asking first,” he apologized, his glass-hearted demeanor returning. It bewildered Kageyama to see the bear shapeshifter hunching into himself a little. Where was the fierce predator that had nearly taken his head off earlier?

“Let’s go! I want to see Daichi-san and Suga-san!” Nishinoya declared, marching forward. He stopped after a few steps, shivering. He turned back to Asahi and jumped onto the other shapeshifter’s back, clinging to him tightly.

“Noya,” Asahi sighed, his muscular arms coming around to hold Nishinoya up so he didn’t fall.

“What? I’m cold,” Nishinoya said. “And you’re warm, so deal with it.”

“Fine, just don’t poke me with your spines.”

“I know, I know.”

The four of them started trekking back to Hinata’s den, following the trail of destruction Hinata and Kageyama had made during their chase. Both of them had switched back to their animal forms to keep themselves warm as they bounded across the snow. They occasionally flicked snow at each other, but managed to keep themselves from full-on fighting with Asahi there to act as a mediator.

It didn’t take much longer for them to finally return to the den. Hinata yipped loudly when he didn’t see anyone outside, coming to a halt outside the bushes hiding the entrance of his home from wandering eyes. The bushes rustled for a second, then a pale, feathery head popped out, letting out a questioning caw.

“Suga-san, we’re back!” Hinata greeted him upon returning to his humanoid form. “Look! Asahi-san and Noya-san are awake!” He gestured to the bear and the hedgehog behind him.

The white crow let out a surprised squawk, and disappeared behind the bushes. Not three seconds later, a disorganized group of shapeshifters burst out from the entrance, Tanaka yelling, “Asahi-san! Noya-san! I can’t believe you came to see us in the middle of hibernation season!”

“Surprise!” Nishinoya shouted back, sliding off Asahi’s back to greet Tanaka with a hearty fist-bump.

“Asahi! Good to see you,” Daichi said warmly, clapping the bear shapeshifter on the shoulder. “I’m surprised you’re up and about right now. What’s the occasion?”

“Noya wanted to visit you when you returned from your long journey south,” Asahi explained, giving the two crow leaders a bashful smile. “I’m glad you two are looking healthy as well.”

Suga returned his smile. “Noya’s energetic as ever, I see,” he said, glancing over to where Tanaka and Nishinoya were having an arm-wrestling match with Hinata and Ennoshita cheering them on from the sidelines. His smile faltered upon seeing Kageyama standing away from them, his arms crossed. He acted like an outsider looking in on an intimate scene.

Daichi and Asahi didn’t miss the slight frown that briefly crossed the white crow’s face. “Daichi, Suga, can you tell me what happened to him?” Asahi asked, his voice dropping quieter to avoid being overheard. “When we met Kageyama, we thought he was attacking Hinata, and I could have killed him when I attacked back. Hinata mentioned that he’d been betrayed?”

“We don’t know all the details,” Daichi said, scratching at his cheek absently. “Kageyama's been close-mouthed on the subject and I want to give him his privacy. It’s his choice whether to tell us or not. But we believe his pack betrayed him. He gets anxious and uncertain whenever someone brings up his title. The night we found him, he was on the brink of death, and his injuries could have only been made by other wolves.”

“He almost didn’t make it,” Suga whispered. “It was only thanks to Kiyoko’s help and patience that he’s even able to be here at all.”

Asahi was horrified. “Oh god, I feel terrible for attacking him,” he groaned, clutching at the furs laying over his chest. “I’m a bad person. He’s probably scared of me now.”

“Don’t say that,” Suga reassured their glass-hearted friend. “I’m sure Kageyama doesn’t hold it against you.”

“Besides,” Daichi cut in, smiling and giving a single nod to the other group’s direction, “Hinata’s not going to let him be alone anymore. I think this will help both of them heal from their scars.”

Suga and Asahi both turned to see Hinata challenging the wolf to an arm-wrestling contest.

Kageyama seemed to refuse at first, but quickly got roped into their antics by Hinata taunting him and jeering, “Scared you’re gonna lose?”

That was the snapping point. Kageyama growled, “I’ll show you _who’s_ scared!” They squatted over the nearby tree stump that Tanaka and Nishinoya had been using, hands clasped firmly together. Ennoshita gave them the signal to start, then they began to grunt in exertion as they tried to one-up each other in a show of manly strength. All the other crows crowded around them, whooping and cheering.

Suga turned back to Daichi with his usual angelic smile. “I think they’ll be just fine,” he said.

The three of them watched on as Kageyama triumphed over the fox, giving a victorious toothy smirk in response to Hinata’s pouts and half-hearted accusations about Kageyama cheating with his wolfish strength. Tanaka nudged Hinata over and challenged Kageyama next. Due to Tanaka’s boisterous nature, the wolf couldn’t refuse.

Afterwards, they all squeezed into Hinata’s den to chat more with the bear and hedgehog shapeshifters before they had to return to their own cave to resume hibernation until spring.

As Kageyama stepped through the entrance, Suga pulled him to the side. “Welcome home, Kageyama,” he expressed warmly, patting the taller shapeshifter on the head.

The wolf froze where he stood. _Home…?_

He shook Suga’s hand off, his ears flattening against his skull. His tail flicked behind him in sudden agitation. “Sorry,” he muttered, stepping past the crow with downcast eyes, “but this isn’t my home. I don’t… have a home anymore.”

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. That one word was a reminder that Kageyama was an outsider, and he shouldn’t wish for another place to call ‘home’ after what had happened with the last one. If he got too selfish again… no, he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t deserve such kindness.

Suga didn’t stop him as he walked away. “You’ll see, Kageyama,” he murmured, laying a feathered hand over his heart. “One day, you’ll see that home is always where the heart is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After posting the third chapter for my YOI fic, I was suddenly struck by inspiration for this one, haha. Thank you for all the comments! I noticed nobody said anything about Asahi and Nishinoya? Well, here they are! I hope bear!Asahi and hedgehog!Nishinoya lived up to your expectations.
> 
> No Tsukishima or Yamaguchi yet, but they'll appear soon enough. Please leave a comment before you go~


	3. Interlude: The Great King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude peeking into the lives of two other wolves.

Chestnut-brown paws tread lightly over hard soil, carefully avoiding the dead leaves and twigs that littered the ground. Soft gray light filtered through the crooked branches overhead, casting long shadows down the winding path. Sharp eyes assessed the surrounding foliage, instantly picking out faint footprints left in the dirt beneath a hawthorn bush, and a single sniff from a keen nose brought the mixed scents of wet earth, bitter leaves, pungent bark, and fresh animal musk to the front. Ears stood alert. The sound of strips of tree bark being torn off and chewed was unmistakable. Prey was nearby.

Crouching low to the ground, the sleek brown timberwolf stalked through the undergrowth, carefully following the trail of hoof prints.

Peering through the next row of scraggly bushes, the wolf spied a young buck rearing back on hind legs to reach the bark farther up on a tree. All the greenery had been eaten already, this one had had to resort to other measures to stave off starvation. Well, that was too bad. It shouldn’t have wandered off to find food on its own.

The timberwolf readied himself, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He was downwind of it, so it shouldn’t be able to sense him. The buck dropped down on all fours, chewing on the bark quickly. It turned just the slightest degree to the right, exposing its  side to the hungry wolf.

He pounced, rushing out of the bushes with great speed and startling the buck. It bolted, but a single leap from his powerful rear legs and the wolf landed on the deer’s back. It attempted to shake him off, but to no avail. His jaws snapped shut around the buck’s vulnerable neck and ripped out its carotid artery with one ferocious killing bite. It collapsed on the forest ground, gurgling a single dying moan of defeat before it succumbed.

The brown timberwolf howled victoriously. He feasted gloriously on his kill, tearing through muscle and sinew and internal organs alike. He gulped down the buck’s rich, hot blood, feeling a renewed sense of energy coursing through his body.

A distant answering howl made him perk up. He sat on his haunches, his tongue swiping the remnants of blood from his gray muzzle. He’d leave the remainder of the carcass for his partner. It was the least he could do for someone who’d been putting up with his shit since they were pups.

Barely a minute later, a slightly smaller black wolf emerged from the trees. The timberwolf happily wagged his tail and gestured to the half-eaten buck at his feet.

The black wolf growled at him and slapped him with his tail. The timberwolf yowled, feigning injury, and dropped down to the ground holding his forepaws over his smarting snout. The black wolf snorted at him, then stalked over to the carcass to viciously eat his fill.

Having already finished his share, the timberwolf got back up and transformed into his humanoid form. He held a hand over his nose and flung his other hand out to the side, dramatically declaring, “That _hurt,_  Iwa-chan!”

The black wolf looked up long enough to roll his eyes at him before resuming eating.

Oikawa pouted. Iwa-chan was no fun sometimes. At least he could admire that strong, furry throat and powerful jaws working to tear apart the carcass and swallow down chunks of meat with minimal delay.

Once Iwaizumi had had his fill, he pushed the bloody bones away and kicked a bit of soil over them to mask the scent of fresh blood. Then he turned around, shifting to his humanoid form, and strode over to Oikawa to punch him over the head.

“Ow! So mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined, clutching his head.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, walking around and hunting all by your goddamn self, Shittykawa?!” Iwaizumi roared, looking even more pissed off than usual. “Do you have any idea how close you are to human lands right now? If even _one_ hunter was to catch sight of you—!” He paused his tirade, a pained expression crossing his face. “If the humans catch up to us, we’re fucking _dead,_ Tooru.”

The timberwolf lowered his eyes, staring stonily at the bloody ground. “Sorry, Iwa-chan,” he murmured, his ears and tail drooping sadly. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Iwaizumi sighed harshly. He dropped a comforting hand on Oikawa’s head, despite the fact that the other wolf was taller than him, and ruffled the wayward strands of brown hair. “As long as you understand, Stupidkawa,” he muttered gruffly. “You know what happened to Kageyama’s birth pack. I don’t want the same thing to happen to us.”

Oikawa looked at him solemnly, his usual carefree grin absent from his face. “That’s why we’re going there. So we can learn about what kind of weapons those despicable humans used, and be prepared for the worst,” he replied. His dark, chocolaty eyes flashed with a different kind of hunger—the kind promising vengeance.

The black wolf took his hand off Oikawa’s head. “…But that’s not the only reason, is it?” he asked quietly, taking in his childhood friend’s rigid posture. He crossed his arms. “…Is this about what happened to Takeru? You know you’re not to blame for that.” He didn’t miss Oikawa’s slight flinch at the reminder.

“Enough. I don’t want to talk about it,” Oikawa snapped, turning on his heel to walk away. He steadfastly ignored the unconscious whisper of _myfaultmyfaultmyfault_ echoing at the back of his head. He needed to see the ruins of what was once the biggest wolf shapeshifter pack in the country. If the humans could eradicate them, there’s no telling what other atrocities they could commit in order to wipe out the rest of them. But perhaps he could find something there to help him with his final goal.

He knew Iwaizumi didn’t like the idea of them treading near human territories, but the other wolf still came with him anyway. Oikawa would never stop feeling utmost affection for his friend, his pillar and support through thick and thin.

Iwaizumi wisely dropped the topic, and fell into step beside him. “Speaking of Kageyama, it’s been about two years since we left, hasn’t it? I wonder how he’s doing,” he mused, looking up at the bare branches above their heads.

“Just fine, I’m sure,” Oikawa said flippantly, brushing a few strands of hair away from his eyes. “Or maybe not. Tobio-chan was always too headstrong for his own good. I can’t imagine our audacious Kindaichi-kun taking his leadership well.”

“He better not do something dumb like kill Kageyama and waste all our hard work in raising him or so help me…” Iwaizumi grumbled some unsavory words under his breath.

Oikawa laughed. “Oh, Tobio-chan would never go down that easily. Kindaichi-kun is good, but Tobio-chan is _better,”_ he said.

“When this is over, we should see them,” Iwaizumi suggested. “And we _will_ get back from this without any unnecessary complications, as long as you don’t do something stupid. Like haring off on your own again, Shittykawa.” He narrowed his dark eyes at Oikawa suspiciously. The timberwolf whistled innocently, looking anywhere but the other shapeshifter’s face.

“No promises, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa singsonged, winking. “This world is full of undiscovered beauty! I must see it all for myself, you know.” Then he changed to his more powerful wolf form and gleefully bounded off into the forest, leaving Iwaizumi behind.

“Oi, Kusokawa! _Get your reckless ass back here!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally supposed to be part of the next chapter, but after writing it, I thought it might be better off on its own.
> 
> Please leave a comment before you go~


	4. A King's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama dreams of his past and Hinata does something reckless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eheh, it only took like 5 months for me to update this time? Work was super busy and last month was really rough. My stress level was seriously through the roof. （ｉДｉ）
> 
> So if the second half of the chapter seems kinda awkward, that was me trying to work through my writer's block and destress at the same time.

That night, Kageyama had trouble falling asleep. The plush blue cushion beneath his body was soft and warm and very inviting, but his mind refused to shut off. He kept going back to the words that Suga had said to him earlier.

_Welcome home._

How long had it been since anyone had told him that, and _actually_ meant it? For so long, his days had been filled with surviving the harsh wintry climate of the shapeshifters’ forest that he had not stopped to consider where ‘home’ was. Was it with his pack—well, _former_ pack now, he supposed—which had so coldly betrayed him and left him for dead? Was it with the ruins of his birth pack, which had been eradicated by the human tribes up north? Was it with the remnants of the pack that had raised him after his mother’s death? Or was it with Oikawa and Iwaizumi themselves, the ones who had taken him under their wing and taught him everything about life as a wolf shapeshifter?

He shook his head quietly, burying his snout into the silky fabric of the cushion. He didn’t know anymore. Maybe he never had a proper home in the first place, an option that had been cruelly torn away by fearful humans seeking to destroy what they couldn’t understand.

So what was he supposed to do now that it was being offered to him? Suga had smiled at him and patted him on the head and told him _‘welcome home.’_ Nobody had done that after Iwaizumi had left, two years ago.

_I don’t deserve this._

Kageyama turned over on his other side with a frustrated huff, his tail flopping listlessly over the side of the cushion. His night vision enabled him to easily see the tightly-curled form of the little fox shifter on the pale yellow cushion next to his, his bushy tail thumping and whiskers twitching erratically as he dreamed happy fox dreams. The wolf envied his obliviousness.

He glanced around the den again, still mildly surprised by how spacious it was. The entrance was carved out of an old hollowed tree and covered year-round by large evergreen bushes to hide from potential predators, and led to a network of tunnels and rooms underground. The curved walls were formed from tightly-packed soil and interwoven roots, creating rigid structures that prevented the den from collapsing over their heads. Luminescent yellow flowers had been planted in the tunnels and around the edges of the rooms to create some semblance of light for the crows, who could not see in the dark as well as Hinata could. Two of the rooms, the one he was in and the one housing the crow shifters, had various cushions strewn about for easy comfort and relaxation. However the floor of the crows’ room was covered in black feathers, with a few white ones mixed in from Suga’s careful preening.

It wasn’t the sort of place that Kageyama thought crows would be living in, but these shapeshifters were proving to be an exception to the norm so far.

Kageyama sighed, closing his eyes. The soft sound of Hinata’s slow, rhythmic breathing close by soothed him a little, taking away some of the tension he could feel in his body. When he’d lain in that cold, cold snow, dying all alone, it had been so terrifying. Wolves were naturally social animals, so he’d grown up nearly all his life waking, sleeping, playing, hunting, eating, and living with others around him.

Even though his standoffish nature ensured that the other shapeshifters (bar Oikawa and Iwaizumi) didn’t ever want to form close bonds with him, he’d never truly been _alone_ until that one moment. Alone in the darkness with no way out. He could still see it behind closed eyelids, the memories of the encroaching night, and his final thoughts in the moment that he had perceived as his end. He really hadn’t expected to wake up from that.

He gave a minute shudder as phantom pains ached in his throat and belly, and firmly tried to steer himself away from the unpleasant memories.

The minutes ticked by slowly, until Kageyama finally found himself slipping beneath the surface of consciousness. And as he fell into the realm of sleep, he dreamed of a day long past.

 

_The years may have passed and time may have blurred the exact details of his mother’s face from memory, but he will never forget her fatigue, her weariness, her struggles, or her extraordinary perseverance as she fought tooth and nail to keep herself and her only son alive in the wake of the nightmarish human hunt._

_“Tobio, this will be our new home from now on. Please get along with everyone, okay?” In this strange forest, amongst a group of unfamiliar faces, his mother’s gentle voice kept him from panicking and running off to find a place to hide. At the moment, he was content to huddle at her feet, watching the various insects crawling around in the dirt with great interest._

_The smell of fresh, dewy grass tickled the young pup’s nose, making him let out a tiny sneeze. The strange adult shapeshifters around him laughed when he wrinkled his nose in response. All the nearby females cooed over his tiny form, but because they were new and unknown to him, he didn’t want them to touch him. He shied away from their hands, scooting closer to the folds of his mother’s tattered skirt._

_As he peeked out, he noticed that a couple of the ladies had bellies that were heavily swollen with young. They looked healthy and well-fed in comparison to his poor, gaunt mother, who had given him most of her meager kills in order to better ensure his survival. He hoped that with enough time, she would return to her former glory as well._

_Another loud, unfamiliar voice rang out in front of him, “Ooh, look, look, Iwa-chan! A new pup!”_

_Kageyama yelped in surprise and promptly hid behind his mother’s legs as an older boy raced up to them, wayward strands of brown hair sticking up around his head and a gleeful grin lighting up his chubby face. He also had an enormous pair of grayish-brown ears on either side of his head, and a very bushy ash-brown tail that swished excitedly behind him. A second boy with short, spiky, jet-black hair, gray ears, and a black tail—the same as him!— followed at a more sedate pace. Unlike the first boy, he had a slightly grumpy scowl on his face that looked a bit intimidating to the young pup._

_Upon noticing that Kageyama was staring warily at the two of them, the other boy sighed and lightly swatted his energetic companion on the back of the head. “Calm down, Stupidkawa, can’t you see that you’re scaring him?” he said, ignoring the pitiful pout that the first boy shot at him._

_“Ehhh, but we haven’t had another pup to play with in aaaaaages,” the brown-haired boy whined, skidding to a halt in front of Kageyama’s amused mother. He tried to peer around the mother wolf’s raggedy skirt, but Kageyama shrank back uncertainly. The other shapeshifter kids were so big! And so… old. Much older than he was. The first boy cupped his hands around his mouth and tried to coax him from his safe spot, “I won’t hurt you! Come on out!”_

_Kageyama felt his mother twist around and gently grab him by the scruff of his neck. He flailed, but that didn’t stop her from depositing him in front of the two older boys with a gentle reminder that he had to be nice. Seeing them stare down at him, one with a big, happy grin and the other with slightly narrowed eyes, made him freeze on the spot._

_“Come on, Tobio,” his mother said, nudging him forward. “Why don’t you say hi?”_

_The shy pup looked up at his mother, then back at the older shapeshifter kids. The smiling one stuck a hand out and boldly announced, “Hi! I’m Oikawa Tooru! And this grump next to me is Iwa-chan!”_

_“Oi, don’t introduce me with that silly name!” the second boy snapped, scowling. When he noticed Kageyama inch backwards at his hostile tone, he dropped the glare and put on an exasperated smile. “Don’t listen to that idiot. I’m Iwaizumi Hajime. What’s your name, little one?”_

_Kageyama stared at them wide-eyed for a moment, then he scrunched his eyes up and concentrated on returning to his humanoid form like his mother had taught him a few weeks ago. With a slight pop, he felt his bones shift and his fur recede, giving way to smooth, pale skin and awkward, bony limbs. He blinked rapidly to get used to his new eyesight, then shakily grabbed the brown-haired boy’s outstretched hand._

_“Um, I’m Kageyama…” he mumbled. “Kageyama Tobio.”_

_Oikawa made a face at him. “Your name is too long, just like Iwa-chan’s,” he complained._

_Iwaizumi gave him a withering glare, which looked rather comical on the face of a kid who still had yet to lose all his baby fat. Oikawa pointedly ignored him. He looked skyward and hummed, pretending to be deep in thought. Then his chocolate-brown eyes lit up._

_“I know! I’ll call you Tobio-chan!” he declared, firmly shaking Kageyama’s hand. “From now on, you’re Tobio-chan. Okay?”_

_The little black wolf pup was startled by the sudden use of his given name, but he found that he didn’t really mind it. “O-okay,” he agreed, attempting to smile. He was sure he looked stupid, one side of his mouth tilted upwards crookedly and the other remaining firmly neutral._

_Sure enough, Oikawa recoiled in horror and released his hand. He grabbed Iwaizumi’s arm tightly. “Iwa-chan, he doesn’t know how to smile! That’s a travesty!” he said frantically, his ears and tail twitching in agitation. Kageyama dropped his sad excuse of a smile upon seeing the other kid’s reaction. Of course they didn’t want to be around him now—_

_But rather than run the other way screaming, Iwaizumi just grunted, “So we’ll show him how, Stupidkawa.” He roughly shook off Oikawa’s hands and strode forward, ignoring his friend’s indignant wails about how mean he was._

_Kageyama braced himself for similarly harsh treatment from the older black wolf, but to his surprise, the hand that Iwaizumi dropped on top of his head was actually gentle. It was firm, yet soothing, offering a different kind of support than he was used to getting from his mother. Kageyama’s eyes widened and he stared up at Iwaizumi with equal parts shock and awe._

_“It must have been hard for you, kid,” Iwaizumi said quietly, ruffling the pup’s hair. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you from now on.” He took his hand off Kageyama’s head and grabbed his arm instead, lightly tugging him away from his mother._

_Kageyama wanted to protest, but the older boy’s grip was too strong. For a single second, he was reminded of the father he’d left behind, a father he hadn’t gotten the chance to know before he was killed. Maybe the other kids were too young to be like alternate father figures to him, but you know, he hadn’t had any older brothers before._

_So he let himself be pulled away—Oikawa falling into step beside them and happily chattering about everything under the sun, Iwaizumi taking Kageyama’s smaller hand in his and loudly disputing the timberwolf’s various wild claims, the adult shapeshifters watching over them fondly and whispering to each other about what a cute trio they made, his tired mother waving him off with a relieved smile—and secretly thought to himself that maybe this was what a family was supposed to be like._

_But all things must come to an end someday. Happiness was a fleeting thing, as Kageyama knew all too well._

_Because a mere three months later, his mother died._

 

000

 

The thick layers of snow blanketing the ground from the previous snowstorm had slightly melted underneath the bright morning sun, now resembling icy mush more than snow. Kageyama was feeling a bit famished after yesterday’s meager meal of rodents, so he felt it would be better to start hunting while the day was still young. He tried to ignore the pang of loneliness that hit him when he realized that he would need to hunt solo from now on. No one would be watching his back this time.

He had seen Oikawa do it before, though; multiple times, in fact. He always got into trouble with Iwaizumi afterwards, but he kept doing it anyway. Oikawa played by nobody’s rules but his own.

Statistically speaking, Kageyama knew that Oikawa was physically stronger and more experienced than he was, but Kageyama thought he was probably a hair faster than the timberwolf, and had a little more endurance. If Oikawa could do it, why wouldn’t he be able to?

The biggest problem Kageyama faced was the fact that his fur was charcoal black and didn’t blend in with the forest particularly well, especially among the brightness of the white snow. Oikawa never had a problem because his fur was mottled brown and gray, so he was able to make himself look like a part of the soil and dead debris that littered the forest grounds. Kageyama would have to find some other way to hunt large prey.

He poked his head out of the den, taking a big whiff to see if he could scent any nearby prey. He could smell nothing but the icy snow and the earthy tones of the leafless trees, which meant that he would need to venture out and possibly spend his day hunting around for the biggest prey he could tackle. He would need to be on the lookout for his traitorous former pack, in case they found out he was still alive and decided to finish him off.

The black wolf had barely taken a few steps from the den when Hinata loudly called out behind him, “Hey, where are you going?”

“Hunting,” he grunted, not bothering to stop and turn around to talk to the annoying fox.

He heard Hinata huff loudly behind him. The quiet rustle of bushes and whisper-soft thump of the fox shapeshifter’s feet hitting the snow indicated that Hinata had jumped out of the entrance and was now following him.

“If you’re going hunting, then I am too,” he declared, jogging up to Kageyama. His bushy orange tail waved behind him excitedly.

Kageyama gave him a scathing glance. “You?” he scoffed, speeding up his gait to spite the other shapeshifter. “You’re too _small_ for the kind of hunt that I’m aiming to do.”

He saw Hinata bristle indignantly out of the corner of his eye. “Can too!” he protested, running after Kageyama with the sleeves of his robe flapping up and down. “Wait for me, you jerk! I’ll show you how Hinata Shouyou gets things done!”

“You’re a fox, dumbass. You don’t hunt deer,” Kageyama deadpanned, rolling his eyes. “Go hunt something your own size, or, you know, something smaller than you.”

Hinata’s cheeks puffed out, the fur on his tail standing on end and making it look even bushier than before. “You want to fight, you shitty wolf?!” he hollered, brandishing his fists. “I’ll bring down a deer myself, just you watch!” Then he took off like a shot, transforming into his smaller fox form in an instant and darting nimbly between the gnarly gray trees.

“Wha—hey! Stupid! Get the hell back here!” Kageyama barked, sprinting after the little fox as fast as he could. That idiot was going to get himself killed if he tried to hunt a deer by himself with no prior experience. A deer’s kicks were nothing to sneeze at, even for a full-grown wolf like himself, not to mention how dangerous running into a buck with a full antler rack would be.

Suga’s words flashed through his head again: _Welcome home._

He didn’t dare think about how the crows might take it if he managed to get their friend killed while doing something that Kageyama had accidentally goaded him into.

Swiftly changing into his more agile predator form, Kageyama followed the fox deeper into the forest.

Shit, he was _fast._ Hinata was able to duck under fallen trunks and low-hanging branches without a problem, but Kageyama with his larger body had to find his way around the trees, which slowed him down a lot more than he'd like to admit.

More than once, he lost sight of that bright-orange bushy tail disappearing into the snow, only to see it pop up again several moments later in a completely different direction. Either the fox was trying to throw him off his trail or he had no idea what the hell he was doing. Kageyama thought it was probably the latter.

The crisp, cold scent of ice suddenly gave way to a potent gamey musk, and Kageyama froze in his tracks, dropping belly-first into the snow at the base of two trees to avoid detection. He watched in horror as Hinata kept going. That idiot!

Hinata paused beneath a great big tree, whiskers twitching. He quickly burrowed himself underground. From his position low to the ground, even Kageyama couldn’t make out any trace of the shapeshifter’s bright orange fur. But Hinata was upwind of him, and so was the source of that delicious scent. The smell was strong, which meant that the animal that they were about to encounter was no small foe. The wolf waited with bated breath for the intended prey to emerge.

And what a sight it was.

A large male buck with a thick winter coat slowly ambled into view, its nostrils flaring to take in any sign of food. It sported an impressive rack of antlers, the ends sharp and threatening, a warning sign to all predators and rivals that this animal could and would use them in a fight for survival. But Kageyama’s sharp eyes could also pick out the faint outline of its ribs shifting underneath its skin, a slightly-noticeable thinness to its body. This deer was starving. That meant it would be a lot meaner than your average prey.

Kageyama didn’t move, fervently hoping that Hinata wouldn’t be dumb enough to try to take this one on.

His prayers went unanswered.

The buck reared back defensively just as Hinata lunged out of the snow by its right flank. The snow softened the strength of Hinata’s leap and he wasn't able to get high enough to reach its rump before it spun around. The fox let out a yelp as he was swatted aside and was sent tumbling head over tail into a nearby tree. The irritated deer snorted, shaking its head to show off its deadly antlers, and took a single threatening step towards the small shapeshifter. It lowered its head menacingly, watching Hinata scramble to his feet with a panicked yip.

Kageyama bit down on his scream before it could leave his mouth. That absolute fucking idiot!

Before the wolf shapeshifter could expose himself, the buck charged at the hapless fox. Hinata shrieked and dove out of the way, burrowing himself beneath the snow to escape the deadly sweep of sharp antlers as the tips gored holes into the tree that he’d been underneath.

Unfortunately for the deer, its antlers got stuck in the knobbly grasp of a low hanging branch, hopelessly tangling it and stopping it in its tracks. Hinata popped out of the snow a few feet away, his ears laying flat against his skull as he hissed indignantly at the trapped animal.

This was as good a chance as he was going to get, Kageyama decided. He rose fluidly out of the snow and stalked over to the thrashing deer, giving Hinata a blistering glare when the fox tried to yap at him. He took in the sight of the deer, which froze momentarily upon sensing him, and bared his sharp teeth with a low snarl. The buck stood still, however. Despite its antlers being tangled up and having pretty much no chance of escape, it stood its ground against the two shapeshifters. He’d have to be careful with this one. Even though its antlers couldn’t be used, a well-aimed hoof could still break his jaw if he messed up.

He stopped just out of the buck’s kicking range, trying to find an opening to attack. Being by himself definitely decreased his chances of a successful hunt, but with the deer caught in the branches of a tree, he just had to find the right opportunity. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata’s cheeks puff out in a pout. But instead of attempting another attack, the fox turned and began to climb up the tree over the buck’s head. An aerial attack? Not a bad plan, especially with Kageyama grabbing their prey’s attention.

He was still going to berate him for his recklessness when this was over.

Hinata tried to be as quick and quiet as possible. Every time he made too much noise and caused the deer to shake its head to try to dislodge itself, Kageyama snapped at it to distract it once again. He slowly circled around the buck, waiting for it to finally let its guard down.

The buck once again tried to free itself, but the energy it was expending with the repeated efforts while under the effects of starvation were quickly tiring it out. Its movements were beginning to slow down with exhaustion.

The fox crept along the upper boughs of the tree to find the perfect spot to drop onto the deer’s back. It was a little tricky to maneuver through the smaller, delicate branches without getting himself stuck, but the shifter’s smaller, flexible body was for once an advantage in this situation.

Kageyama looked up at Hinata, giving a slight jerk of his head to indicate that he should wait for his signal to attack. The fox shifter stuck out his tongue defiantly, and promptly ignored him. He prepared to leap out of the tree, his muscles coiling beneath his orange fur. He didn’t see Kageyama frantically shaking his head, which agitated the deer even more. It tugged hard on the branches tangling about its antlers, and they began to snap from the force.

Hinata jumped just as the buck finally broke free and violently swung its head up to meet the oncoming threat. But Kageyama slammed into its side with a vicious snarl, his teeth and claws tearing into its hide. It was forced to abort the movement in order to face the more immediate threat clinging to its backside, letting out a loud whine of distress.

The fox shifter managed to land on its back not a moment later. He immediately clamped his jaws down on the buck’s thick neck, but wasn’t able to do more than snarl and cling while the deer wildly thrashed to get the two predators off of it. But it was already exhausted from its earlier flailing and couldn’t keep it up.

Kageyama saw his chance. He let go of the deer’s hindleg, dropping back into the snow. While the buck heaved for breath, he turned back several feet, then made a running jump that bowled the deer over. It went down in a pile of limbs, Hinata shrieking as he was nearly crushed under its body. The wolf snorted at the comical sight of the fox scrambling away, ears flat and tail bristling.

The deer was already trying to get back on its spindly legs, but the snow didn’t make it easy. Kageyama circled around so that he was behind it, out of range of its hooves and antlers, and then flung himself on top of it and delivered a lethal bite to the base of its neck. Just like Oikawa taught him.

His prey slowed, twitching feebly as it bled out into the snow. Kageyama was victorious.

 

000

 

Hinata bounded up to him, switching back into his humanoid form to pout at the other shifter. “That was supposed to be my kill…” he grumbled, crossing his arms.

The wolf shifter glared darkly at him, which made Hinata take a step back out of fear. The big black wolf released the deer from his powerful jaws, scarlet blood drenching his teeth and muzzle. To Hinata’s dismay, rather than transforming back to his humanoid form and explaining himself, Kageyama opted to prowl forward. His deep-blue eyes were narrowed and so dark with bloodlust and rage that they appeared almost black. It was like staring into the abyss.

Kageyama advanced even as Hinata fell to the ground in fright, his pupils dilated with genuine fear. His ears laid almost completely flat on his head, a huge contrast to his wild mane of orange hair that stuck up every which way. He instinctively hunched over, averting his eyes away from Kageyama’s deadly gaze and subtly baring his throat in submission to the stronger predator.

The wolf shapeshifter slammed a large paw down into the snow next to Hinata’s head, making the smaller shifter flinch. He squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for a painful blow to fall upon him.

It never came.

The slightest whisper of air and a change in Kageyama’s scent indicated that the wolf shifter had finally returned to his humanoid form. Hinata hesitantly cracked his eyes open.

Kageyama stared down at him with an unreadable expression, although the deep furrow in his brow and the way his lips were pinched together definitely pointed to him being irritated (which, frankly, seemed to be his default mode anyways).

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, which prompted Hinata to squeak out, “W-what do you want?”

“…You…have got to be the _dumbest_ fucking moron I have ever met,” Kageyama hissed. Even in this form, he still had blood on his teeth and little splatters over his lips and cheeks, vivid crimson against his alabaster skin.

Hinata’s mouth fell open at the outright insult. “Hey!” he squawked, ready to rail and flail against the wolf.

Something in Kageyama’s eyes stopped him. “I told you, I fucking _told you,_ that you were too small to hunt this kind of prey—” he gestured to the bloody deer corpse lying in the snow behind them, “—and you just had to take my words as a challenge, didn’t you? Did you even think for a second of what could have happened if I hadn’t intervened?!”

“Kageyama—” Hinata started hesitantly.

 _“Don’t,”_ the wolf shifter growled. Hinata stayed quiet for once, not quite understanding what had come over him. He hadn’t meant for things to get this far out of hand. He had only wanted to kill something bigger than him for once and prove that he wasn’t some weakling who only mooched off others’ kindness. Clearly Kageyama thought otherwise.

Kageyama took a deep breath through his nose. “You have a family to go back to, a family that _loves_ you. How do you think they would react if you died, huh?” he muttered, moving back so that he was no longer trapping Hinata against the ground. “If I was the one who died, it sure as hell wouldn’t be anywhere near as heartbreaking.” He reverted to his wolf form and trotted back over to his kill, but there was a noticeable slump in his posture as he slunk across the snow.

The fox shifter watched him go with something painful burning in his chest. Guilt. Regret. He had thought it was a game. He had thought it was a simple challenge. He had only wanted to show off: _I’m here, don’t look down on me!_ But now, as he sat in the snow feeling the cold chill and icy wetness seep through his robe, watching Kageyama disappear between the trees with the deer, Hinata couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of shame in himself.

He had screwed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T HATE ME. Kageyama has a lot of issues to work through in this fic. I don't want to hurt my babies, but plot is plot!
> 
> Please leave a comment before you go~


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